2/8/2025
Ricky Thornton Jr
RTJ Sweeps Friday's Wieland Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway
Federated DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Up Next
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (02/10/25) – Ricky Thornton Jr. broke out the broom in Friday’s Wieland Winternationals preliminary at Ocala Speedway with a clean sweep in his Ultimate Towing & Recovery / Elite Ready Mix / Coltman Farms Racing / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Longhorn Chassis Late Model.
Thornton, the overall fast qualifier, followed up a heat race win with flag-to-flag victory in Friday’s 50-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary to claim his third win of the season and the $12,000 winner’s payday.
“I was trying to get myself clear of the lapped cars,” Thornton said. “I felt like I could enter one and slide across to really get a good run off of two. I think I got to the 79 car, but he was actually better than I was off the bottom, so I moved down and watched Jimmy pass about four cars off turn two on the wall. I thought I’d better get back up there. The car’s been really good. I felt like we needed this one; we’ve been close since we put this new one in together.”
Thornton’s Wieland Winter Nationals kicked off Wednesday evening at Ocala Speedway (Ocala, Fla.) after the Koehler Motorsports team decided to spend Tuesday putting a new car together.
With Wednesday's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) preliminary event serving as the first night of points, Ricky followed up a heat race win with a third-place finish in the 30-lap feature. Thornton joined race-winner Jonathan Davenport and Drake Troutman on the podium.
In Thursday’s program, Thornton set the pace in time trials, however, his strong start to the night quickly unraveled during the feature. A lap-33 tangle involving several cars dropped Ricky from sixth to the tail. With only seven laps remaining, Thornton salvaged a 14th-place finish from the back.
On Friday, Ricky started off the night by claiming the Allstar Performance Fast Time Award with a blistering 14.215-second lap in time trials. Following a heat race victory, Thornton blew past pole-starting Devin Moran on the opening lap of the feature and cruised to his third win of the season.
The dominant 50-lap victory was worth $12,000.
Thornton capped off the weekend with another strong performance, securing a third-place finish in Saturday night’s $25,000-to-win Wieland Winternationals finale.
On the heels of a pair of podiums, Ricky climbed to third in the latest LOLMDS point standings.
Full results and detailed point standings can be found at www.LucasDirt.com.
With LOLMDS Speedweeks now complete, Ricky has six more events left in Florida to finish off his trip. He will compete in three rounds of the DIRTcar Nationals from Monday to Wednesday, followed by three World of Outlaws Late Model Series races from Thursday to Saturday.
Full details for the entire week can be found at www.DIRTcar.com or www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
Ricky Thornton Jr. and the Koehler Motorsports team would like to thank their sponsors, which include: Longhorn Chassis, Bilstein Shock Absorbers, Cornett Racing Engines, Clements Racing Engines, Knights Companies, Coltman Farms Racing, High Performance Lubricants, Hoker Trucking LLC, Capital Waste, Ultimate Towing & Recovery, Elite Ready Mix, Jones Racing Products, Certified Inspection Service Co., Inc., Varsitee Screenprinting, D and E Outside Services, Shocker Hitch, EMD Wraps, GoSunoco, Dynamic Drivelines, Excel Floor Coverings, Performance Bodies, Swift Springs, Buzze Performance, Dirtcarlift, Impact Racing, Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Ultra Shield Race Products, LLC, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, LLC, Team SRI Motorsports, MPI - Max Papis Innovations, Strange Oval, Pit Boss Jacks, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
Article Media
